Understanding Dyslexia: Training and Support

Supporting children with specific learning disabilities requires a collaborative effort from educators, parents and schools.

In this film, we will explore the aspects of intervention, the roles of teachers and parents, and the support systems in place to empower students with dyslexia to achieve their full potential

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What is the difference between a teacher for students with dyslexia and a therapist for students with dyslexia?

To be a Dyslexia teacher, it’s a 15-month program and to be a Dyslexia therapist another one year, beyond that.

So a Dyslexia teacher uhh is somebody who is not trained into the therapeutic aspect of it. So when we talk about uh being a Dyslexia therapist, we are talking about uhh… you know, using methodology or techniques that are also bringing about neuroplasticity in the brain.

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Can a special educator in any field work as a remedial teacher for students with dyslexia?

To work as a remedial teacher or to work with students with dyslexia you need to be trained specifically in an Orton-Gillingham based program, methodology, because that is the programme, right?

So, even if a special educator has a specialization in learning disability that special educator still needs to get trained in an… an Orton… Orton-Gillingham based methodology to be able to work with students. 

So it’s not that uhh they do you know the ones with the specialization in Learning Disability cannot work uhhh with students with Dyslexia, but they will you know, over a period of time they realize that somewhere they face a block.

Because with my you know issues uhhh the general remediation that they have learned they are able to you know, able to work with the children. 

But the… as the issues you know, us get moderate at the moderate or severe level, they see the struggle in their children.

So we have had special educators with 14 and even 20 years in the field of learning disability coming to us to get trained as Dyslexia teachers and Dyslexia therapists because they have come across students where they are just not able to get a breakthrough.

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How would you differentiate remedial education from regular tuition?

So tuition would uh, involve uh, subject teaching, okay, the focus is only to getting the child to understand the chapters in a particular subject and so on, but as remedial education works on the foundation.

So it works on the skill areas, there is no subject teaching, there is no curriculum teaching involved in remedial education.

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What is the time commitment required from parents for remedial intervention, and what are the associated costs for these classes?

So, yes remedial ummm… intervention uhh requires commitment on the part of the parents to begin with because the parents have to take time out to get the child to the remedial teacher or the Dyslexia teacher, for the classes.

So remedial intervention has to be 3 times a week for an hour each. It has to be consistent and no gaps… okay? 

Minimum 2 years of remedial intervention in an Orton-Gillingham based methodology.

When it comes to money, yes. It depends on whom you go to so private practitioners would be expensive, but you also have NGOs and hospitals, uhhh, certain hospitals who have learning disability clinic and a learning disability intervention centre uhh which the parents can approach to those who have financial difficulties.

Also, remedial education is expensive because it is one-to-one, so… sometimes uhh… it could be 2:1 ratio, but usually 1 to 1 in case of moderate to severe difficulties.

If you commit yourself to 2 years of remediation, you will see the results that is what we mean. And, uhhh… yes, time is a factor but one needs to understand that uhh, if you are putting your child for extra tuitions or extra classes for subject, you know, for various subjects, uhhh, but you are not getting the results, right?

The children are still struggling, that is why you have you know, you have approached a remedial teacher or a special educator. 

So, you need to understand that uhhh, as long as the foundation is okay, is not strong, no amount of you know, extra classes is going to help the child. 

You have to build that foundation and it’s only the remedial classes that will help build the foundation.

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What role does mainstream schools play in supporting students with dyslexia?

So as per the Rights for Person with Disability Act 2016 uhhh… it is mandatory for the schools to screen all the students uhhh from 8 years onwards for uhhh specific learning disability and not just specific learning disability, all the 21 disabilities listed in the act.

So that is the responsibilities schools cannot shrug, from that.

Once the students are identified they have to uhhh, make available some kind of intervention for the children.

In spite of intervention if the children are still struggling then they have to refer the children for uhhh diagno, assessment and diagnosis uhh to the recognised you know, hospitals or organisations or professionals.

Once the students come back with a report or certificate, uh with a diagnosis, they have to provide all the accommodations and support uhhh listed, whether its the RPwD Act or the State board uhhh that is you know, the school is following or the board the school is following.

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What accommodations are available for students with specific learning disabilities in Maharashtra?

Okay, Maharashtra has been the leading and uhhh, you know, state where accommodations is concerned where, for SLD as well, it’s the pioneer in the field. 

So uhhh, all accommodations, children right from you know, grade 1 to students pursuing their post graduation, at all levels they get you know, accommodations.

So in the lower classes it’s oral evaluation, uhh it’s uhh, reading out the papers, objective type of papers, then as you move ahead, exemption from maps and graphs, you get reader, you get writer, you have alternate subject options instead of maths and science.

So, yes, a lot of uhh… accommodations are provided and the…you know, circulars, general resolutions regarding the accommodations are available on the government site.

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What percentage of students with dyslexia have you observed continuing their studies versus opting out of education?

So, as far as my experience has been those you have you know, the students that I have uhhh, worked with or uhh who have been with uhhh, even if… I have not worked with them directly but through the organisation that uhh im attached to, what I have seen is that if they get the right kind of help and intervention and the support and if they are availing the accommodations, a large majority of them are able to do mainstream education. 

They go into colleges and surprisingly they do well in colleges as opposed to you know, school because the pressure or the stress on having grammatically correct uhhh, english language and you know uh your spelling and your sentence structure is not given importance in college, because the children from other medium of instruction also come in there, so they do very well.

The main struggle, hurdle is crossing your 10th and yes, the ones with very severe ones, uh, with late diagnosis, the ones who come in late you know, at a later stage identified or there is a delay on the part of the parents in acceptance what we have seen is some of them do, you know, uhh, pass the hurdle and uh, do their uhhh, boards you know, with uhhh, accommodations. 

But, there are some who have severe difficulties and they may then have to opt out for the National Institute of Open Schooling. 

But uhhh, yes we have seen students from State board, CBSE, ICSE, International Boards, completing their 10 Boards if they are being diagnosed and have received help.